RIYADH — Kering and the Saudi Fashion Commission have announced the second edition of the Kering Generation Award, this time expanding beyond Saudi Arabia to encompass the broader Middle East region.

The announcement was made at the Retail Leaders Circle Global Forum here Tuesday. The inaugural edition attracted more than 500 applications, resulting in 21 finalists and three winners who received mentorship, workshops and international exposure through the French luxury conglomerate’s sustainability networks.

This year’s program will focus on four key areas: regenerative materials and clean production innovation; circular design and business models; nature and animal welfare, and consumer awareness and cultural engagement. The addition of animal welfare as a dedicated category reflects growing global consumer concern over ethical sourcing practices.

In an interview with WWD, Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering’s chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer, emphasized that the program represents a long-term investment rather than a one-off initiative.

“When we speak about sustainability, how much innovations can bring solutions to reduce our environmental footprint in many ways — we want really to continue to feed this idea by looking at new ideas from the raw materials until the end of the process,” she said, noting that Kering is particularly interested in disruptive solutions that can be scaled across its portfolio of houses.

Daveu said the inaugural Saudi edition last year proved revelatory for the group. “It was also a very good way for us to understand better what was happening in Saudi Arabia with young generations, and also to see how much sustainability was really something tangible for them in Saudi Arabia,” she said. “We were very impressed.”

The broadening of the geographic scope this year, she explained, reflects Kering’s belief in collaboration across borders. “After so many years in sustainability, I really believe in cross-fertilization. So it’s also key by the geographical approach,” Daveu said. “It’s very interesting to be connected on the ground with people, with culture, and with what they are doing.”

Daveu acknowledged the urgency facing the industry. “If you take 10 years ago and now, we made, collectively, many, many progresses,” she said. “But when you see the issue and the speed of degradation, when we speak about climate change, loss of biodiversity, you have to speed. And not only to say, ‘Okay, I have 10 years or 20 years to change the business model.’ It’s really to say it’s now.”

For Kering Middle East & Africa, the regional expansion represents a strategic bet on the Middle East market’s entrepreneurial potential.

“This region is rich in ideas, creativity, and entrepreneurial drive, and our role is to help convert that potential into lasting impact,” said Miral Youssef, president of Kering Middle East & Africa. “In doing so, we strengthen not only individual ventures, but the wider creative ecosystem, and affirm the region’s growing role in shaping the future of global sustainable luxury.”

Burak Cakmak, chief executive officer of the Saudi Fashion Commission, said the program is central to the kingdom’s Vision 2030 ambitions for fashion, noting that the partnership with Kering reinforces sustainability as a foundational pillar of the sector.

“Our journey at the fashion commission has been about thinking of how we can create and develop the industry, which we are doing almost from scratch, in a new way. Sustainability is a key pillar in doing that,” he said. “We are opening the award to the wider region this year because we see the opportunity not just to grow local brands, but also as a place for other businesses to come and eventually set up here from all over.”

Selected startups will receive a trip to Paris, including visits to Kering headquarters and Plug and Play Paris; three months of expert mentorship; a six-month workspace at The Garage incubator in Riyadh; specialized workshops, and visibility at major events across Saudi Arabia and global platforms. Winners will also gain access to Plug and Play’s international network of brands, retailers and investors.
Applications are open to startups from the Middle East that operate in or positively impact the sustainable fashion sector and demonstrate innovation with measurable sustainability outcomes.

The Kering Generation Award was first launched in 2018 in China and has since expanded regionally, with the goal of identifying promising innovations that can create measurable change not only for Kering but for the broader luxury ecosystem. The program’s scope spans alternative raw materials, green supply chains, customer engagement reinvention and circular economy models.